Die Gleichnisse Jesu als Metaphern: Traditions- und redaktionsgeschichtliche Analysen und Interpretation

by Hans Weder

German

312 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

Reviews

[Henry Sturcke]

This was the author's Zurich dissertation, written under the tutelage of Eduard Schweizer. It was hailed when published as an important contribution to the study of the parables. As the title indicates, Weder seeks above all to take seriously the nature of a parable as a speech act: it is not a riddle to be "explained", but an invitation to the listener. For those who accept this invitation, the possibility of a type of understanding, but also of identification, opens. By employing this form, Jesus was able to convey insight into the realm of God that could not have been communicated by more linear terms. It is no surprise that this method of teaching was singularly appropriate for the message. Study of the parables has continued to develop in the nearly forty years since this book appeared, but it is still very much worth taking into consideration.